Towing reach for automobiles



, Fb. 6 1940. J. FRIED 2,139-393 TOWING REACH FOR AUTOMOBILES FiledMarch 9, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J: Fried,

abtozmq 6, 1940. J FRlED 2,189,393

TOWING REACH FOR AUTOMOBILES I Filed fiarch 9, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2'F-Ta.

Patented Feb. 6, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I z,1s9,s9s A TOWINGREACH FOR AUTOMOBILES John Fried, Peoria, Ill.

Application March 9, 1938,'Serial No. 194,806

4 Claims.

This invention has reference to means for use 'in towing wreckedautomobiles or such of'this type of vehicle, at least, as cannotbetransported or dragged to an institution for repairs except a uponeither its front or rear wheels.

More particularly the invention has to do with asupport to extendbeneath the chassis of an I automobile for supporting one end or theother thereof and attached beneath the same to some portion of thestructure.

An object of the invention, therefore, is that of placing beneath eitheraxle of an automobile a reach structure one extremity of which is in at-15' tached relation tov the running boards or some adapted to besupported on the lifting crane of a so called wrecking car the Weight ofthercar to be transported, resting partly upon one ofits set of-usableWheels and the balance upon the said reach.

Another object is to provide a simple form of device so appointed andfashioned that it may be very quickly and easily placed in secureposition beneath a car and as quickly and easily removed, and employedas the lifting or supporting structure for part ofthe weight thereof andact asthe drag member at the same time.

"The appended drawings forming part hereof illustrates the invention andwill servetomake the same clear aided bythe following description:

Figure 1 is a. plan of a sufficientstructure of an automobile toillustrate the use of my invention, the said invention being shown inposition therebeneath.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of parts of .a car, also, and the inventionin place thereon.

Figure 3 is a transverse section of a pair of so called running-boardsand parts of the invention shown in position thereon.

Figure 4 illustrates in perspective part of a reach and a member shownapplied to a runningboard,

Figure 5 illustrates in perspective a slight modification of the reachand member shown-in Figure 4 and Figure 6 is a side elevation ofmodified form of other portion of the car, the other end being thereof,no special meansbeing required for such engagement. The place ofengagement since heneath the car the said reach supports that part ofthe weight of the car not carried by the pair, of carrying or groundwheels of said car'that may '5 be usable. .The device therefore may besimple and entirely devoid of special fastening means and due to themember of application constitutes a thoroughly dependable towingarrangement. h

In the drawings the running-boardsrepresented"10 at A of'an automobileare shown in this instance only, as the parts employed to be'engaged bymy type of device. Again, in the present instance a draft member orreach isprovided comprising,...,

preferably, a pair of rigid members I such as angle' iron or otherdependable type. In any event at the forward end thereof one'or more eyemembers 2 maybe conveniently provided to receive a. hook 3 of any usuallifting derrick of 'a wreckingcar, neither of which two latter is shown.

Each of the rear divergent ends may'carrya hook shaped member l .of anydesired type for engaging about some portion of the chassis of the carto be hauled. This hook member'may be, integral with the member I asshown in Figure 5," the same having the formof a U,'as 4', disposedsubstantially at right angles to thelength of said member, the hook, ofeach member lying astride a running'board asillustrated. Or the membersmayeach have a hook extension 6 as in Figure'4' to engage in an eye 1 ofsaid U member 4. As a matter of convenience the use of such as the Umember is'preferred since one of them may he slipped loosely upon analways convenient running-board to hang thereon without fastening meansof a type being required. That is to say, since the reach made up of themembers i lies beneath the cars gearing, the weight of that end of carto be lifted is supported thereon by its axle, for example, as thelifting hook 3 is raised 40 by the derrick, not shown, with the resultthat the leverage placed on said reach, Figure 2, places a downwardstrain on the member 4 at the running-board creating great friction ofthat member upon the latter and permitting the vehicle to be transportedon either its usable rear, or front ground wheels, as the case may be.

In the latter connection, it is observed in Figures 1 and 2 that thereach I is shown as extending from and carrying the front end of a car.If,

tend from the U-portions at those ends thereof distant from the yokeportions whereby the {weight of said members and the downward pull ofthe same will tend to retain said U-portions n position by frictionalengagement with the run- I ing-boards.

Since the reach members I converge from the member 4', or the hooks 6,as the case may be, the natural tendency during the dragging act is toprevent the members 4 moving in a direction away from each other so thatneither of them can leave the running-board. However, if desired a chain8 or other device may be employed to connect said members 4 by attachingthe same to a hook 9 on each said member.

It is to be understood that the said members 4 in either of Figures 3and 4 may be attached to any portion of the vehicle other than therunningboard, as already intimated, or that the hook I3 of the reach,when that form is used, may be attached to any convenient part withoutthe requirement of said member 4.

If desired, of course, a chain Ill may be connected at the forward endof the reach and to any part of the vehicle structure as an additionaldrag member, more especially when the vehicle is to traverse roughroads.

,In Figure 6 is illustrated a modified form 42 of the member Q. Asbefore, this is of U form to whose suspended free limb is pivoted at IIa l tch I2 the named hook 6 being linked thereto a its outer end.Especially when the running board is made of steel, as is now customary,a lip or flange A depends from its outer edge so that in a tilting ofthe named latch I2 the free or inner end thereof due to the weight ofthe member I and the weight thereon will automatically carry said innerend upwardly behind said lip or flange A to thereby serve to lock themember 42 permanently in place, and thus a cross chain such as 8 beunnecessary. And where the end having said hook 5 is the weighted endthe device will be automatically locked in position when the device isslipped to position upon the running-board.

While'I have described a particular form of reach or one consisting ofdivergent members whose spaced extremities are connected to a part ofthe vehicle at opposite ends thereof, such reach may be of any otherform as long as it has two spaced ends for attaching to such parts ofthe vehicle and includes a portion extending from beneath the latter forattachment to lifting towing device.

I claim:

1. A towing reach for automobiles comprising a pair of members free ofeach other adapted at one of their ends for attachment to a commonlifting-connection and diverging from said ends, their divergent endseach terminating in a hook, and a pair of U-shaped members each adaptedto engage upon a running board of the vehicle to be towed, a limb ofeach portion having an eye at the end thereof farthest from the yokeextremity of the member, said eye adapted to receive one of the hooks ofthe named members therethrough.

2. The invention according to claim 1 including a chain connecting theportions in the mounted position of the latter, said chain beingdetachable from the portions.

3. A towing reach for automobiles comprising a pair of members free ofeach other adapted at one of their ends for attachment to a commonlifting-connection and diverging from said ends, their divergent endseach terminating in a hook, and a pair of U-shaped members each adaptedto engage upon the running board of the vehicle to be towed, a latchpivoted between its ends upon a limb of each of the members distant,

from the yoke extremity thereof, each latch having an eye at one endadapted to receive the hook of one of the members, the weight of themember adapted to tilt the latch and maintain the free end of the latterin engagement with the under portion of the running-board.

4. A towing reach for automobiles comprising a pair of members adaptedat one of their ends for attachment to a common lifting connection anddiverging toward their other ends, a pair of U-shaped members eachadapted to engage over the free edge of a running board of the vehicleto be towed, each of the first named members at its divergent end havinga linked connection with one of said U-shaped members on a limb of thesame distant from the yoke extremity thereof, said link connectionpermitting free movement of a Ushaped member with respect to the memberwith which it is associated,

JOHN FRIED.

